Hilbus Chapter. Saturday, January 27, Two Unique Möller Pipe Organs of Baltimore City

Transcription

1 Hilbus Chapter The Organ Historical Society, Inc. Where the Tracker Action Is! Volume 36 Number 5 January 2007 Whole No. 327 Saturday, January 27, 2007 Two Unique Möller Pipe Organs of Baltimore City (THANKS TO KEVIN CLEMENS FOR ARRANGING THIS DAY!) 10:00AM St. John s Episcopal Church of Huntingdon 3009 Greenmount Avenue, Baltimore, MD (410) or (410) M. P. Möller Organ, Opus 7285 of 1947 The instrument was a modest 3-manual instrument; while Donald King, an employee of Möller was Organist-Choirmaster, he doubled the size of the instrument to over 40 ranks. Bard Wickkiser, vestryman and curator of the organ, will host us and give a history and tour of the instrument. Bring your music and organ shoes this is one instrument you will want to play! Directions from the South: Merge onto I-95 North toward Baltimore. Merge onto I-395 North via Exit 53 toward Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd/Downtown. Take the Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. exit; turn slight left onto MLK Blvd. Stay straight to go onto North Howard Street. Turn right unto West North Avenue/US-1 North. Turn left onto Greenmount Avenue/MD-45. End at 3009 Greenmount (on the right; parking in the churchyard) [crawl information continued next page] CHAIRMAN: Carl Schwartz, Ruxton Road, Silver Spring, MD (301) VICE CHAIRMAN: Kevin Clemens, 711 Court Square Way, Edgewood, MD (410) SECRETARY-TREASURER: Barbara Birckner, 6606 Farmer Drive, Fort Washington, MD (301) EDITOR: Thom Robertson, 7511 Ashby Lane, Unit A, Alexandria, VA (703) EDITORIAL ADVISOR: Carolyn Fix, 116 Battle Street, SW, Vienna, VA (703) Articles and news may be submitted to the Editor electronically: music.director@gracealex.org Dues due in October: $14, mailed to Secretary-Treasurer (Checks payable to Hilbus Chapter, OHS) Page 1

2 Directions from the North and West: Take I-70 toward Baltimore Merge onto I-695 South Baltimore Beltway Outer Loop via Exit 91A toward I-95 South (marked Baltimore/Glen Burnie) Merge onto I-95 North Exit 11A/11B toward Baltimore. Merge onto I-395 North via Exit 53 toward Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd/Downtown. Take the MLK Blvd. exit; turn slight left onto MLK Blvd. Stay straight to go onto North Howard Street. Turn right onto West North Avenue/US-1 North. Turn left onto Greenmount Avenue/MD-45. End at 3009 Greenmount (on the right; parking in the churchyard). 11:45 AM Lunch at Ruby Tuesday s 1726 East Northern Parkway, Baltimore, MD (410) Directions from St. John s Church: Start out going North on Greenmount Avenue (turn right out of the churchyard) toward Old York Road. Turn right onto East 33rd Street. Turn left onto Loch Raven Blvd. Turn right onto East Northern Parkway. Make U-turn onto East Northern Parkway; end at 1726 East Northern Parkway. 1:00 PM Immanuel Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) Loch Raven Blvd and Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD (410) M. P. Möller of 1924, rebuilt 1936 with additions, rebuilt in 1950; 40+ ranks Dick Wegner, who has been Organist/Director at Immanuel for over 50 years, will be our host and will demonstrate the instrument. Dick s only request is that if you would like to play the instrument you must wear organ shoes or play in your stocking feet. Directions from Ruby Tuesday: Start out going West on East Northern Parkway toward Loch Raven Blvd/MD-542 North. Turn left onto Loch Raven Blvd/MD-542 North. You will pass the church on the left; at the Belvedere Avenue traffic light make a U-turn onto Loch Raven Blvd. North and turn into the parking lot next to the church. Page 2

3 The November crawl was a visit to four organs in the Falls Church area of Northern Virginia. Tom Scheck writes: The information sheet provided by one of the host churches described their organ as a gem. It is truly a gem, as are also some of the other organs we visited this month. Although very different, each of the four organs we visited has some very lovely sounds. St. Patrick s Episcopal Church, 1885 II/15 Roosevelt This room, somewhat stark visually, has presence without being reverberant. The organ is in an ideal position in the rear gallery, speaking down the central axis of the church. A visual inspection of the organ (chests, pipes, console, etc.) seems to indicate this is an intact 1885 II/12 Roosevelt to which a two-rank Grave Mixture (2 2/3 ' & 2') and a Trumpet have been added, probably by Ernst Hornig in the 1950 s. The original action was probably mechanical, but is now electro-pneumatic, played from a Schantz console. Playing only the Roosevelt stops on this organ demonstrates why Roosevelt was so highly regarded as an organ builder. The sounds are smooth and rich, and can be either delicate or powerful. The two added stops increase versatility while retaining the integrity of the original stops. The organ is entirely enclosed in two expression chambers. The lowest seventeen pipes of the Great 8 Open Diapason and the lowest five pipes of the Swell Diapason are stenciled, indicating they were in the façade of the organ in its original installation. [Ed. note: Organ-builder Michael Hart states that this instrument was built by Adam Stein, not Roosevelt.] GREAT SWELL PEDAL Open Diapason 8' Diapason 8' Bourdon 16' Melodia 8' Stopped Diapason 8' Gedeckt 8' (ext.) Dulciana 8' Salicional 8' Double Trumpet 16' (prepared) Octave 4' Aeoline 8' (celeste) Trumpet 8' (SW) Flute d Amour 4' Harmonic Flute 4' Clarion 4' (SW) Mixture II Trumpet 8' Gt 8' - 4' Gt 16-4 Clarion 4' (ext.) Sw 8' - 4' Unison Off Oboe 8' Sw Sw 16-4 Tremolo Unison Off Tremolo St. Patrick s console stenciled pipes St. Patrick s gallery and swell chambers The Falls Church (Episcopal), 1993 III/49 Steiner-Reck I had not originally planned to visit this organ because we visited it soon after it was installed, but I decided since we were visiting the other organ at this church, some who may not have been at the earlier crawl might appreciate seeing and hearing it. The main sanctuary is a large semicircular room that appears more likely to house a Baptist congregation. The acoustics Page 3

4 are disappointing, almost completely dead, with barely a hint of presence. Concave walls can present real acoustical problems, which architects sometimes try to remedy with sound-absorbing materials. Indeed, such materials can be seen in this room. This is an unfortunate example of why it is supremely important to engage an acoustical consultant when designing a room. The organ case is very striking visually. There are two consoles, one mechanical en fenêtre and one electric. Unfortunately, the mechanical console has not been functional since soon after the organ was installed. The organ has some lovely stops, but the overall character is more strident than some would like, especially when using the upperwork. electric console electric console left stop jamb Steiner-Reck, tracker console GREAT SWELL POSITIV PEDAL Gedacktpommer 16' Bourdon 8' Stopped Diapason 8' Principal 16' Principal 8' Flute Octaviante 8' Principal 4' Subbass 16' Koppelfloete 8' Viola 8' Rohrfloete 4' Gedacktpommer 16' (GT) Octave 4' Celeste 8' Sesquialtera (II?) 2 2/3' Open Bass 8' (ext.) Hohlfloete 4' Principal 4' Gemshorn 2' Bass Flute 8' (ext.) Nazard 2 2/3' Flute Harmonique 4' Quinte 1 1/3' Choralbass 4' Octavin 2' Quinte 2 2/3' Scharff III-IV 1' Mixture IV 2 2/3' Tierce 1 3/5' Piccolo 2' Cromorne 8' Posaune 16' Mixture IV-VI 1 1/3' Mixture IV-V 1' Solo Trumpet 8' (GT) Trumpet 8' (ext.) Trumpet 8' Fagott 16' Tremulant Clarion 4' Solo Trumpet 8' Trompette Harmonique 8' Solo Trumpet 8' (GT) Hautbois 8' Tremulant COUPLERS Sw/Gt Pos/Gt Sw/Pos Sw/Ped Gt/Ped Pos/Ped 43 stops; 49 ranks; 37 independent voices 2,761 pipes 58-note manual compass; 32-note pedal compass mechanical key-action attached console; electric key-action console; electric stop action; equal temperament The Falls Church (Episcopal), 1967 II/12 Schantz The historic church, built in the eighteenth century, is a smaller room with a great deal of presence, although it could not be characterized as reverberant. The organ is in the rear gallery, speaking down the central axis of the room. The Great is in the rück position on the gallery rail. This little organ, the smallest one we visited today, is a real delight to play and to hear, from the velvety Flute Celeste to the more powerful ensemble. It is quite versatile and very well suited to the room. Carl Schwartz, Hilbus president, plays services on this organ regularly. (continued next page) Page 4

5 GREAT SWELL PEDAL Rohr Flöte 8' Gedackt Flöte 8' Subbass 16' Flute Conique 8' (SW) Flute Conique 8' Principal 8' Principal 4' Flute Celeste 8' Flute Conique 8' (SW) Wald Flöte 2' Gemshorn 4' Quint 5 1/3' (ext. from 8') Mixture III Flute Conique 4' (ext.) Choral Bass 4' (ext. from 8') Fagot 8' Nazard 2 2/3' (ext. 8' Fl.) Fagot 8' (SW) Zimbelstern Gemshorn 2' (ext.) Clairon 4' (SW) Gt Unison Off Tremulant Gt 8-4 Sw Sw Unison Off Sw 8-4 Falls Church Schantz St. Paul s Lutheran Church, 1968 III/28 Fouser This is a striking A- frame church with a very high ceiling. It has real presence without being reverberant. Once again, the organ is in the real gallery, speaking down the central axis of the church. Several Hilbus members mentioned that this organ complements the room both visually and sonically, with its striking asymmetrical display of pipes, including the 16' aluminum Principal front and center as well as the Positiv in the rück position on the gallery rail. The sounds of this organ are indeed a pleasant surprise. The list of stops seems to indicate a typical neo-baroque organ. However, the sounds are warm and rich, without the spikey upperwork characteristic of many organs of this vintage. The ensemble is very pleasant and well balanced. The Rev. Gerald Kuhn, the longtime pastor of this church who was responsible for this organ, delighted us with his humorous account of how Schantz rück Great the organ came to be here. He mentioned that the total cost of the original III/27 organ in 1968 was $25,000. The only change made to the pipework since this organ was installed is the Chamade, added by Lewis and Hitchcock in GREAT SWELL POSITIV PEDAL Hohlflöte 16' (SW ext.) Hohlflöte 8' Gedeckt 8' Principal 16' Principal 8' Viola 8' Principal 4' Hohlflöte 16' (GT) Rohrflöte 8' Viola Celeste 8' (TC) Koppelflöte 4' Octave 8' (ext.) Octave 4' Spitzflöte 4' Nasat 2 2/3' (TC) Hohlflöte 8' (SW) Quinte 2 2/3' Principal 2' Flute 2' Choralbass 4' (ext.) Octave 2' Larigot 1 1/3' Terz 1 3/5' (TC) Schweigel 2' Mixture II-III Cimbel II Scharf II Rauschpfeife II Posaune 8' (Ped) Krummhorn 16' (TC) Krummhorn 8' (SW) Posaune 16' Posaune 4' (ext.) Trumpet 8' Posaune 8' (ext.) En Chamade 8' En Chamade 8' Chimes (digital) SW 16-4 Zimbelstern (toe stud) Tremulant Harp (digital) Celesta (digital) Because the Great Mixture omits the 2 2/3' pitch throughout its compass, it is clear Fouser intended the Mixture to be used with the 2 2/3' Quinte (which plays at 1 1/3' pitch in its bottom octave). The Swell Cimbel is just one octave of two high-pitched pipes that repeat over the 61-note compass. The Pedal Rauschpfeife plays at 2 2/3' and 1'; it is clear Fouser intended it to be used with the 2' Schweigel, but even so, the composition is unusual. (Cont. next page) Fouser en chamade Page 5

6 With the exception of the metal pipes, Robert Fouser and his wife, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, made almost everything in this organ, including the stop-key console, the miniaturized capture-type combination action, the blower, and the swell engine. Mrs. Fouser made all the magnets by winding them on a sewing machine. News of Note Reed Organ For Sale One-manual with 11 stop knobs: Principal, Diapason, Dulcet, Bass Coupler, Diapason treble, Vox Humana, Flute Forte, Treble Coupler, Echo Horn, Melodia, Celeste. The case has had its original finish stripped. Contact Eleanor Hanna, 9913 Good Luck Road, Lanham, MD (Countryside Apartments), 301/ Bob Hobbs sends this picture of the organ recently installed at his church, Friendship United Methodist. We rejoice with Bob that this lovely instrument is safely ensconced in its new home, and we look forward to a visit in the near future! St. Paul s - Fouser We extend hearty thanks to our gracious hosts who made this crawl possible, all of whom seemed as enthusiastic about our visits as we were: Mariko Burris and the Rev. Tinh Huynh at St. Patrick s Church, Alice Crawford at The Falls Church and Laurel Brown and the Rev. Gerald Kuhn at St. Paul s Church. News of Note Welcome new member! Megan Amoss 1814 Sulgrave Avenue Baltimore, MD / megan@zymbelstern.com Page 6 Oberlinger Organ - Friendship United Methodist Dates to remember: January Crawl - Saturday, January 27 th February Crawl - Saturday, February 24 th Deadline for February Newsletter Saturday, February 10 th